


Meant to be

by Srcbabies



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Actor Eddie Kaspbrak, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Comedian Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Getting Together, Interviews, M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie has no boundaries™️, Social Media, Twitter, but Eddie is okay with that shh, he occasionally acts tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:07:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22570723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Srcbabies/pseuds/Srcbabies
Summary: Richie and Eddie get cast in a new horror movie together and sparks fly. To the point where Richie begs for an on-screen kissing scene just so he can kiss Eddie.Let’s follow stan twitter’s journey shipping both their fictional counterparts and R+E themselves.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 124
Kudos: 293





	1. Let’s hear it for the boys

**Author's Note:**

> IM BACK WITH A NEW AU ❤️ I’m really excited about this one and I hope you all enjoy this one as much as RR!
> 
> Some things to know before reading:  
> -I de-aged the characters a bit, they are now in their thirties.  
> -Neibolt Street IS ‘IT’ in disguise. Some elements are different (like the character names ofc). Just picture It2 but more gay™️. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy reading this first chapter :)

**Variety** ✔️  **@Variety**

The fun’s just beginning, comedian Richie Tozier reportedly joins the cast of Bill Denbrough’s newest book adaptation, ‘Neibolt Street’ [link to actual article]

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**Cam 🌼 @dazedandvconfused**

yeah, lets just throw away the whole movie now 😬

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**One (1) Veronica 🍬 @alexified**

Richie Tozier?? noah fence but since when can he act...especially in a horror movie 🤨

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

waS NOBODY GONNA TELL ME NEIBOLT STREET WAS GONNA BE MADE INTO A MOVIE?!??!!!?!?? 

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**Bucky Kentucky™️ @youignorantslut**

yall hear sumn [picture of a brown fish in Bikini Bottom sitting on a bench and reading their newspaper, looking unbothered]

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**Poison Ivy’s bitch 🌹 @hvrleyqvinn**

Wait hold on this actually makes sense 👀 read the article and tell me he isn’t perfect for the role of Dwight Sorenson 💗💗

_ Replying to  _ **@hvrleyqvinn** and  **@Variety**

**Bebe luv 🔮 @thephantombebes**

Holy shit tho? 🥺 [picture showing excerpt from article;  _ “Variety has confirmed with sources that  _ **_Tozier_ ** _ will be playing the role of  _ **_Dwight Sorensen_ ** _ , just one of the seven main characters that make up the Loser’s Club of ‘ _ **_Neibolt Street_ ** _ ’. _

_ Described to be the resident ‘funnyman’ among the group, Dwight Sorenson is a key character in  _ **_Denbrough’s_ ** _ novel. As a kid, his loud mouth and crass jokes got him into trouble with his friends most of the time, and as a result, they all coined the special phrase ‘Beep beep, Dwight’ to get him to shut up. Though his constant wise-cracking may seem bothersome, his friends still loved him all the same. Fast-forward to twenty-three years later, Dwight is now a semi-successful comedian in his 30s, making a living out of what he does best: telling jokes to an audience.” _ ]

_ Replying to  _ **@thephantombebes** ,  **@hvrleyqvinn** , & **@Variety**

**Faye Lang 🌙 @hopevandynes**

OH MY GO D??! that IS Richie wtf 🤐

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**Trashmouth’s Gal 🖕🏻 @ratchietozier**

RICHIE IN A DRAMATIC ROLE 🥺🥺 IM SO PROUD!!?!?!€}£}]£]¥

_ Replying to  _ **@Variety**

**Richie’s Hawaiian Shirts 🌺 @itsgonnabemay**

BIIIIIIIITCH NEW RICHIE CONTENT ❤️❤️❤️

———

**The Hollywood Reporter ✔️ @THR**

‘Neibolt Street’ has a new Loser’s Club member, academy award nominee Eddie Kaspbrak cast as Wesley “Lee” Tompkins in Bill Denbrough’s new highly anticipated horror film [link to actual article]

_ Replying to  _ **@THR**

**Eddie Kaspbrak’s left thigh 👽 @kaspbraksnatasha**

!!!!! [screenshot of Tiffany Pollard meme  _ “ _ **_Eddie?_ ** _ ” _ ] 

_ Replying to  _ **@THR**

**Eddie raw me 💕 @mynameispearl**

MY MOTHERFUCKING K I N G 😘🥰🥰 

_ Replying to  _ **@THR**

**Jules 🕸 @sprinklesthecat**

FUCKFUCK EDDIES GONNA SMASH THIS ROLE I FUCKING K N OW IT AHHHHHHH [reaction pic of Spongebob holding pink & red hearts with news headline,  _ “Breaking News: THAT IS MY BABY” _ ] 

_ Replying to  _ **@THR**

**Bees Eves 💫 @rumhamdamn**

waIT HOLD UP MAYBE THIS MOVIE DOES HAVE RIGHTS 👀👀

_ Replying to  _ **@THR**

**Frannypack 🎀 @kaspbrakattack**

SUDDENLY I LOVE HORROR MOVIES SJDKSKDODKLD [picture of excited dog] 

_ Replying to  _ **@THR**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

THIS IS PERFECT CASTING IM LEGIT GONNA CRY

Quoted  **@pobodysnerfect** ‘s tweet

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

Neibolt Street is literally my favorite novel of Bill’s, like I actually caNNOT BELIEVE that he’s developing this into a film and Eddie being in this means everything to me omfg 💖💖

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

AND IF THEY DO WHAT WAS HEAVILY IMPLIED IN THE BOOK THEN IM OFFICALLY GOING TO DI E JSJDKSKDJDJJS 

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect**

**Bebe luv 🔮 @thephantombebes**

SPARE INFO MAAM ?!! 👀👀👀

_ Replying to  _ **@thephantombebes**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

All the losers are close with one another, but Lee & Dwight have the closest bond and throughout the book, theres hints of both men having feelings™️ for each other ❤️ sO if they somewhat follow the book (which I’m sure they will, bc Bill IS the screenwriter) then theres a chance we’ll see Richie & Eddie portray that on-screen 🥺🥺

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect**

**Bebe luv 🔮 @thephantombebes**

FUCK CAN YOU IMAGINE 😳

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect** and  **@thephantombebes**

**Eddie Kaspbrak’s left thigh 👽 @kaspbraksnatasha**

W A I T ARE YOU RUCKING SERIOUS

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect** ,  **@thephantombebes** , & **@kaspbraksnatasha**

**Eddie Kaspbrak’s left thigh 👽 @kaspbraksnatasha**

IM SORRY ITS JUST,,, THE POWER RICHIE AND EDDIE WOULD HAVE TOGETHER I [picture of bratz girl  _ “shut up, I’m manifesting” _ ]

_ Replying to  _ **@thephantombebes** and  **@kaspbraksnatasha**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

I DONT WANT TO GET MY HOPES UP BUT Y E S I NEED MY GAYS DWIGHT AND LEE TO GET TOGETHER 😭💖😭💖😭💖

———

Quoted  **@pobodysnerfect** ‘s tweet

**Richie’s Hawaiian Shirts 🌺 @itsgonnabemay**

the possibility of seeing Richie k i s s a man [picture of a badly drawn blushing ‘emoji’]

_ Replying to  _ **@itsgonnabemay**

**Trashmouth’s Gal 🖕🏻 @ratchietozier**

SIGN ME TF UP FOR THAT GAY SHIT 

_ Replying to  _ **@ratchietozier**

**Richie’s Hawaiian Shirts 🌺 @itsgonnabemay**

ON G O D,, MY SOUL WILL LEAVE MY BODY IF THIS HAPPENS 

_ Replying to  _ **@itsgonnabemay**

**Trashmouth’s Gal 🖕🏻 @ratchietozier**

EDDIE IS SO HOT???? ITS A FUCKING CR I M E IF IT DOESNT HAPPEN

———

**Bill Denbrough ✔️ @bdenbrough**

It’s all coming together now #NeiboltStreet [picture showing the novel on a table, with the official movie script laying next to it] 


	2. Bambi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exciting first meetings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here 💕
> 
> Just some notes for clarification:  
> -Matthew (OC) will be playing “Bill” in Neibolt Street. I made him up bc my dumbass forgot that there NEEDED to be a Bill in the movie and it couldn’t be Bill...😳😳  
> -Bill is also the director bc why not! He can have as many credits as he wants 🤩  
> -All the Losers don’t know each other yet, this movie will be the event that brings them together! Exciting, right? I think so 😉 
> 
> Okay, I hope everyone likes this chapter! ❤️❤️

**Bill Denbrough ✔️ @bdenbrough**

Twenty-three years, safe to say this reunion is long overdue #NeiboltStreet [three pictures; each showing name cards grouped together while placed on a pristine white table. Each name card displays not only the actor’s name, but also the character’s name. None of the seven cast members have claimed their assigned seat yet. The first picture groups Ben and Beverly together, Ben on the left, Bev on the right. Second picture groups Matthew, Stanley, and Mike together, all in that order down the table. The last picture finally shows Eddie and Richie’s name cards placed together; thus completing the main lineup with Richie making up the end.]

_ Replying to  _ **@bdenbrough**

**Read Neibolt Street 📖 @DENBROUGHNERD**

sir, you have no idea how excited I am for this 🥰

_ Replying to  _ **@bdenbrough**

**feral rat boy @goblintwink**

THEY PUT RICHIE AT THE END LMAO

_ Replying to  _ **@bdenbrough**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

ITS STARTING I 🥺🥺

_ Replying to  _ **@bdenbrough**

**Poison Ivy’s bitch 🌹 @hvrleyqvinn**

okay srsly peep @ the placements 👀 we see you bill…🤫

_ Replying to  _ **@bdenbrough**

**Richie’s Hawaiian Shirts 🌺 @itsgonnabemay**

RICHIE IF YOURE READING THIS,, HAVE A NICE DAY KING 🤩🤩 @trashmouthtozier 

———

“Trashmouth Tozier, good to see you finally decided to show your face around!” Bill beamed at him before enthusiastically shaking his outstretched hand. 

“Woah,” He said, drawing the word out longer than he needed to. “Am I already late to this shindig?” He asked.

Bill crossed his arms in a smug way as if to say  _ actually.  _ “Actually,”  _ ah, there it is,  _ “you’re r-right on time, but the others are al-already here and helping themselves to the refreshments laid out on the t-table inside.” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the open doorway. “We were th-thinking of starting in about half an hour, s-so that gives you time to settle in and introduce yourself.” 

Richie nodded and snapped his fingers at Bill, “You got it Billiam.” Before Bill could protest the nickname, Richie walked off and headed into the room itself. Just as Bill had said, the room was almost full already, as if everybody collectively had the same bright idea to show up early. An idea he  _ did not _ have. Every seat around the table was filled, he noticed, save for a few empty spots. 

Richie made a beeline to the refreshments table, shouting for joy in his mind when he spotted a basket full of chocolate chip cookies. Grabbing a handful of the sweets, he started piling all that he could fit onto a single napkin. He was up to five stacked cookies, an achievement he was very proud of, when a voice spoke up next to him. 

“You know, they have plates there for a reason.”

_ They did? _ Richie straightened up and hugged the pile to his chest, not caring in the slightest if he got crumbs on his shirt. He glanced to his left and did see the plates in question. Right there next to the basket too. Looking big enough to hold more than the five, his measly napkin could. Richie felt his face flush in embarrassment and decided to save face by chuckling and quickly reaching over to grab one of the paper plates. He unceremoniously dumped his pile onto the plate in a crumbly mess and finally turned to the man who witnessed his dumbassery. 

“Also, isn’t it a little too early to be eating that?” The man smiled up at him when he met his eyes—and  _ oh,  _ Richie stood there frozen, staring dumbly at the shorter man. Fuck, he was a sucker for doe eyes.

_ Doe eyes on women,  _ his mind reminded him and Richie shook himself out of his daze. He swallowed nervously ( _ why the fuck was his throat dry all of a sudden?) _ and jerkily crosses his arms across his chest, leaning his hip on the table next to him. He felt cool for all of five seconds before he felt the mess of crumbs leftover on his shirt brush his arms.

_ Jesus fucking christ.  _ He should’ve cared about the crumbs!

“Fuck,” Richie muttered and looked down helplessly at the mess. He grumbled as he got napkins to clean up the crumbs and inwardly cringed. Here he was making an ass out of himself in front of a cute guy— _ woah. Where the fuck did that thought come from?  _

He decided to ignore that for now and instead focused on cleaning himself up.

He was busy scrubbing away at his shirt when he heard a chuckle coming from the man. Richie shyly looked up to find Bambi  _ (yeah, that seemed accurate)  _ staring curiously at his actions, with a teasing smile on his face. “Are you okay?”

Richie cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah it’s just, you caught me being a dumbass, not once but twice, with this,” He gestures to his forgotten snack laying on the table. He smiled shyly, “And I don’t know how to recover honestly.” He balled up the used napkins and tossed them in the trashcan by the table.

Bambi hummed. “You’re fine,” He nodded, giving him a once-over. Richie swore he felt his brain malfunction at that. Bambi continued, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” He bit his bottom lip.

At the sight, Richie gripped the edge of the table to ground himself.

“Nah, no worries man. I have dumbass moments everyday and you just happened to draw the short straw today, seeing me at my peak dumbass moment at,” He glanced at the clock on the wall, reading the time. “Oh fuck, that’s actually embarrassing—at nine o’ three in the morning.” 

Bambi giggled. “So there won’t be any more dumbass moments to witness?” He asked.

Richie shook his head and confidently crossed his arms, knowing there wasn’t any crumbs this time around  _ thank you very much.  _ “Nope! I’m afraid I’m a smooth motherfucker after I reach peak dumbass. You’re gonna have to settle for that, my little Bambi.”

_ FUCK.  _

Bambi scrunched up his face in confusion and frowned. “I’m not even gonna ask how you came up with that.”

“Just something random,” Richie said quickly, wanting the subject dropped and forgotten, and then continued, “Care to tell me your real name?” 

“Eddie Kaspbrak,”  _ Eddie  _ stuck out his hand for a handshake. “I’m playing Lee by the way.”

Richie shook his hand and immediately felt overwhelmed. At what exactly...he wasn’t sure of. “Richie Tozier at your service. I’m playing Dwight.”

Eddie grinned again and Richie couldn’t bring himself to stop staring. He was a sucker for doe eyes and he’s never seen anything like Eddie’s. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Eddie is gay and Richie in this au just happens to be questioning his sexuality. Hence, his bewildered reaction to his attraction to Eddie 🥰
> 
> We are moving along guys! I’m so excited to get this au officially started. I can’t wait to reach the exciting parts of this fic! 
> 
> Like with RR, I’ll be posting the tweets/reaction pics on my twitter - @srcbabies 💜
> 
> I hope y’all enjoyed this chapter 💗💗


	3. Hot little body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talk, talk ,talk, talk 👀👀

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay wow! It’s a been a hot minute and I apologize lmao. I’ve been stressing over this chapter, making sure it was readable and it made sense...
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this one. It’s a long one (way longer than the others)

“So here I was right, about to score with this hot chick, a solid nine I swear to you. When all of a sudden this prick comes running in from god knows where and interrupts us! I mean, can you believe this? I was about to get the best blowjob of my life but then this asshole just  _ had  _ to come and ruin my fun! God, the nerve of some people. Anyways, he pushed her off me and started getting in my face and I—“ 

Richie rolled his eyes and took another swig of his beer, deciding to tune Matthew out for the rest of his story. He was not in the least bit interested in hearing  _ another  _ one of his ‘wild’ party stories, the other man was so fond of sharing. 

Upon meeting him, Richie came to the same conclusion he’s sure the others did as well; Matt was an asshole. A damn good actor, but an asshole nonetheless. And here they all were at Bill’s house, upon his request, being forced to hang out with Matt on such a beautiful night.  _ What a waste,  _ he thought to himself.

He felt someone poke him in his side, and he curiously turned his head towards them.

It was Eddie. 

_ Okay well, maybe not a total waste... _

Richie raised his brow.  _ “What?”  _ He mouthed at him.

_ “Do you want to get out of here?”  _ Eddie mouthed back. He pointed his thumb towards the french doors located a little ways from the living room, no doubt asking him if he wanted to go outside for a bit. 

He swears, sometimes Eddie just  _ gets  _ him. 

_ “Fuck yes,”  _ Richie eagerly nodded and Eddie hid his snicker at seeing his enthusiastic reaction, behind his drink from the others around them (which was only Bill and Matthew really). Richie couldn’t contain the smile on his face as he turned to Bill, “Hey Big Bill, was that a beautiful garden I spotted back there, through the windows?” He said, vaguely gesturing to the direction of the doors.

Bill, who seemed equally as bored with the conversation as he was just a moment ago, looked at him with a confused expression on his face, but before he could say anything, Richie went on, “Because gosh, I sure would love to take a closer look man. Eds, care to come with?” He briskly walked off, leaving Eddie to smile politely at Bill and Matthew before waving at them and following Richie.

Eddie caught up to him right when he stepped outside. He shut the door quietly behind him and lightly punched his shoulder, “Don’t call me that, asshole.” 

Richie shivered at his touch and immediately blamed it on the cool night breeze. “You love my nicknames.” He brought his beer to his lips, taking a sip, and discreetly wiped his other  _ (totally not sweaty) _ hand on his pants; entirely missing the coy smirk on Eddie’s face. 

“Want to sit?” Eddie gestured to the back porch steps in front of them. Richie nodded and they moved to sit down on the top step, leaving a bit of space between them. 

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, listening to the sound of crickets chirping in the night, and Richie smiled to himself. It’s only been a week since they’ve met and he can honestly say that it’s been the best week of his life. 

He and Eddie just  _ clicked _ . He spent the entire first day almost glued to Eddie’s side, constantly pestering him with his stupid jokes, and he found that he liked all too much the way Eddie’s eyes crinkled when he smiled, or the way his nose scrunched up after hearing a particularly bad joke at his expense. 

Weird, that he doesn’t feel the same way when Beverly laughs at his jokes, or when Stan rolls his eyes at one of his cheesy gags. It was different with Eddie and Richie had accepted it as such, not wanting to question  _ why _ at this point.

Eddie shifted and laughed next to him, pulling his attention away from his thoughts. “What?” He asked.

Eddie shook his head with a grin on his face. “Bill must be so confused right now considering I don’t see the beautiful garden you said he has out here.” 

_ Wha—?  _ Richie’s eyes scanned over every inch of Bill’s backyard in the moonlight and he saw nothing but grass, not even a single flower blooming in sight. He snorted loudly, shaking his head at himself. 

“You really couldn’t think of a better excuse?” Eddie teased him.

“Hey!" He whined. "I still got us out of there, didn’t I? You should be thanking me for saving you from hearing any more of the Mattress’ stories back there.”

Eddie scoffed at that. “I’m the one that asked you out here in the first place so you should be the one thanking me. And oh my god, if you ever call me something that’s as bad as _The_ _Mattress,_ I’m seriously going to punch you.” 

Richie chuckled, fully believing him, and their conversation moved on from there. Their topics ranging from stories from their youth, like the time Richie accidently broke his leg from slipping off the roof when helping his dad put up the Christmas lights; to bizarre past projects they've worked on, Eddie telling him about how during his last job, the director made him binge his other movies, after hearing from Eddie himself that he never saw any of them.

And somewhere along the way, they switched to the topic of exes and that's when Richie found out.

"It's been a while actually, my last real relationship was a few years back. We broke up mostly because of our schedules not syncing up, though now I can see that he wasn't making an effort like I was back th—" 

Richie was in the middle of taking a swig of his drink, nodding along, when his brain registered what Eddie had said. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second and he immediately spit out the liquid in surprise.

_ Fuck. Me.  _ He inwardly cringed at himself and dreaded seeing Eddie’s reaction.

"Fuck, sorry I..." He trailed off, wiping his mouth clean with his hand  _ (why the fuck was his hand so sweaty again?!).  _

"Another one of your peak dumbass moments, huh?" Eddie joked. 

Richie felt his cheeks heat up and he met Eddie's amused eyes. The little motherfucker was holding back a laugh. He shook his head incredulously at him, pouting slightly. "You're enjoying this way too much, Kaspbrak."

"I kind of am," Eddie smiled wide and Richie immediately noticed the way his dimples became more prominent. 

He stared wonderingly at the sight,  _ cute, cute, cu— _

His eyes widened again and he felt his cheeks heat up for a different reason this time. He looked away, nervously running his hand through his hair.  _ What the fuck was wrong with him?  _

Eddie spoke up again. “What happened?” 

Shit, he was hoping Eddie would’ve laughed at him and moved on from this and onto more safer topics. Forget all about how he just made an ass out of himself  _ (again) _ all because he couldn’t control his immediate reaction to finding out that Eddie had an ex boyfriend...

Richie cleared his throat. “I-uh, I didn’t know you were gay—or bi? I-I don’t-? It just caught me by surprise and I just happened to unfortunately be drinking at the same time you said that so...” He laughed awkwardly and adjusted his glasses, pushing them up his nose.

“I-It was stupid, sorry...”

He doesn't know why it mattered to him. He was Eddie’s friend, sure, but he had no business freaking out over the existence of some asshole he didn’t even know the name of, having known Eddie  _ like that.  _

Thoughts of what they most likely did together  _ (what couples do when they’re alone)  _ clouded his mind. His chest burned as he tightly gripped the neck of the bottle in his hand.

Eddie gently poked him in his side to get his attention again and he looked over at him, holding his breath. He expected to see hints of disgust on his face, or maybe even anger, but all he saw was Eddie’s kind eyes and warm smile. 

“I didn’t expect you to already know that, so it’s fine. And just to clear things up, I’m gay...not bi.”

_ Oh. _

He doesn’t know why this changed things.

“It kind of fits, you know.” Eddie added. 

“W-What do you mean?” Richie asked, confused.

“I mean, it’s fitting that I get to play a character that’s gay too.”

Richie sat up straighter, shocked and a little more than interested in this new piece of information. “Woah wait, Lee’s gay? How do you know that?”  _ Damn, I should’ve read the book. _

His tone must’ve given himself away because Eddie glanced at him in surprise at his question. 

“Didn’t you read the book?” Eddie asked and when he shook his head in response, he continued, “Oh, well there’s a lot of hints in the book about Lee liking men and him being attracted to and possibly in love with one.” 

He felt the warmth of Eddie’s thigh pressing against his own and he fleetingly wondered when they moved closer. 

_ Lee liking men... _

_ Attracted to and possibly in love with one… _

Richie swallowed, feeling an ache settle in his chest. “And does anything come of that?” 

He doesn’t dare to hope that…

“No,” Eddie shook his head. “He uh, ends up marrying a woman he doesn’t love when he’s older.” He said, his voice soft.

_ Oh,  _ he thought, while frowning slightly. Nothing prepared him for the ache in his chest to deepen at hearing his answer.

He should’ve known, he really should’ve, but something in him  _ wanted  _ to hear Eddie say that it did work out and that it was Dwight who Lee had feelings for. But who was he kidding? Even if something did come of it in the book, what are the chances of it being Dwight, the  _ jokester  _ of the group?

Every group needed a funny member, right? Richie knew he was only there for the comic relief.

Still though, he wanted to know.

“Who was it then? Who did he love?” 

It was probably Ben’s character, or maybe even Stan’s. Those two would make the most sense.

“Do you really want to know?” Eddie’s lips quirked up as he boldly met Richie’s gaze. Richie just sat there, entranced yet again. 

_ (He doesn’t know why). _

“Yeah, I think I do.” He nodded. He ignored everything else around him. All of his focus was on Eddie. He doesn’t think anyone could pull him away if they tried.

“It was Dwight. Lee loved Dwight.” 

Richie’s breath caught in his throat and suddenly the ache in his chest didn’t feel so bad anymore.  _ It was Dwight.  _ Not Ben, not Stan, and it sure as fuck wasn’t Matthew,  _ take that, you dick! _

"Really?"

It was going to be him…

Eddie grinned as he stared down at his lap and fiddled with his hands. “Nothing was truly explicit in the book, but I get the sense that Dwight feels the same way. The way they talked to each other, the way they cared so much...it was a strong bond that stayed with them even after they forgot each other.”

It was silent for a moment, Eddie’s words hanging in the air between them. His heart was racing, reeling from the thought of Dwight and Lee together.

Him and Eddi—

“I even talked with Bill about this, and he pretty much confirmed my suspicions about the two of them. Though, I don’t know if he’ll change things up in the movie and make them an actual thing. I guess we’ll just have to see when we get the scripts.”

Richie couldn’t help himself.

“And do you want that, Bambs?” He partially covered his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide his smirk from Eddie. It wasn’t his fault that he loved both the nickname and the way Eddie always reacted to hearing it after that first time.

“God, I hate you so much,” Eddie whispered, with an almost fond look in his eyes. If they weren’t sitting so close, Richie’s sure he wouldn’t have heard him. 

“You didn’t answer the question,” He whispered back. 

Eddie’s smile grew. “I think it would be interesting to see that dynamic played out on screen...when done in the right way, you know?” He chewed on his lip for a moment, seeming to be thinking over his thoughts before continuing, “But I don’t think we’ll get to act out any intimate scenes due to it mainly being a horror movie. Though, maybe a kiss…” He trailed off.

If Eddie was expecting an immediate response, then Richie couldn’t give it to him because he’s pretty sure his sanity was a thing of the past now. His mind was positively buzzing at the possibility of acting out  _ any _ intimate scenes  _ (multiple times, because that’s a fucking thing in Hollywood he was well aware of)  _ with  _ Eddie _ in the upcoming months. 

_ Though, maybe a kiss… _

The fact that Eddie’s mind even  _ went _ there too, when thinking about their characters’ relationship.

Something inside of him  _ soared.  _ Oh now, he just absolutely had to say something. 

“You can’t get anything past me, Spagheds.”

Eddie’s eyes narrowed at the nickname. “Wha—“

“I asked if you wanted them to be a thing in the movie, and you answered, which was great. But I didn’t ask if you wanted there to be any intimate scenes…you went there all on your own.” Richie teased him.

It was comical how fast Eddie’s eyes widened. He scoffed. “I-I was just saying! You’re being—“

Richie interrupted. “You know what I think? I think you want it to happen. I think you want there to be a kiss between us...any chance to get your hands on my hot, little body, huh Eds?” He doesn’t know when his voice lowered in a husky tone. 

“There’s nothing little about you,” Eddie grumbled back ( _ Fuck, if he wasn’t so adorable).  _ Richie beamed at him, a dick joke already on the tip of his tongue. But before he could utter a word, Eddie slapped a hand over his mouth, his face flushing red. He squeaked out, “Wait! I-I didn’t mean it like  _ that, _ you asshole!” 

Richie chuckled when Eddie took his hand away and pouted. 

“You didn’t deny it. I still think you want this,” He teasingly swept his hand down his chest and winked at Eddie.

Eddie breathed in. “In your dreams, Trashmouth.” 

_ Yeah, maybe.  _ If he wasn’t so lost in his thoughts,  _ consuming _ thoughts of him and Eddie working closely together, spending hours everyday getting to pretend to love each other; if Bill just so happened to go in that direction  _ (and Richie would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t want that),  _ he might’ve actually caught Eddie’s wistful tone. 

———

**We Winning Peeps**

**Richie:** sup 😎

**Eddie:** Oh god. 

**Richie:** shut

**Ben:** Hey! 

**Mike:** oh, hi 👋

**Mike:** This is interesting 👀

**Stan:** Why is this a thing?

**Bev:** HI RICHIE 💕

**Richie:** HI BEV 🥰

**Bill:** What is this?

**Richie:** gc bill, get with the program 

**Bill:** But why?

**Richie:** you said we had to bond

**Richie:** so lets bond bitches 🤩

**Eddie:** You did say that Bill 

**Richie:** Spaghetti Baby here agrees 🥳

**Eddie:** nO

**Stan:** 🙄

**Bill:** I did say that... 

**Bill:** We’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the upcoming months

**Stan:** Some more than others.

**Bev:** 👀

**Richie: 🤔**

**Eddie:** ?

**Bill:** I just assumed we’d do it in real time 

**Mike:** But this works too 😁

**Ben:** Yeah, I like this 😀

**Richie:** 😝😝

**Eddie:** You type like a teenager Rich 

**Richie:** and you love it Eds

**Bill:** Are we going to ignore the elephant in the room?

**Richie:** yes 🥵👊

**Eddie:** ...yes

**Bev:** mhm

**Mike:** 👀also yes

**Ben:** Yup 

**Stan:** The only thing I agree with Richie about.

**Bill:** I mean...

**Bill:** okay I get it

**Richie:** no clowns allowed in this house 😷🤢🤢

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone liked this one ❤️
> 
> We are moving along now! I want to establish more of reddie’s development before we get to the really good parts, so I hope y’all stick with me for a bit more. 
> 
> I hope everyone has a wonderful day 💕


	4. Oh god, he’s dumb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie’s being petty over a certain ending and Kevin Bacon rocks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO IT HAS BEEN AGES AND IM FINALLY UPDATING THIS. I cannot tell you how much I stressed over this chapter (darn you, negative thoughts and writer’s block!!). This was meant to be wayyyyy longer and super gay but I dicided to save that for the next one ;) so bear with me...
> 
> Also I 100% namedropped Quentin Tarantino as the narcissistic director Eddie worked with in the past 😎
> 
> I hope you all like this 💖💖

**Richie Tozier 🤩 ✔️ @trashmouthtozier**

[three paneled meme of Arrested Development’s Michael Bluth looking through the fridge and finding a brown paper bag labeled  _ “ _ **_set source material_ ** _ ”.  _ The second panel shows him looking inside the bag’s contents only for him to give off a blank stare in the end, saying  _ “I don’t know what I expected.”  _ Richie may or may not have edited this image himself]

_ Replying to  _ **@trashmouthtozier**

**Trashmouth’s Gal 🖕🏻 @ratchietozier**

its been a hot second since youve tweeted and yOU TWEET THIS?!?!!!?!!?!!!

_ Replying to  _ **@trashmouthtozier**

**richie i am free on thursday @stellasgibbysson**

this is too cryptic for my liking. uhhhh 👁👄👁

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Faye Lang 🌙 @hopevandynes**

Richies first tweet since it got announced that hes in NS and its a diss at the book SHDHKDHDJDJ

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Richie Tozier’s FBI agent 👾 @loveliza**

DELETE THIS BEFORE BILL SEES

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Read Neibolt Street 📖 @DENBROUGHNERD**

if this is about what i think its about then 😩😩

_ Replying to  _ **@DENBROUGHNERD**

**Read Neibolt Street 📖 @DENBROUGHNERD**

i asked for ONE thing mr. denbrough !!!!!!!!

_ Replying to  _ **@DENBROUGHNERD**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

why was I literally thinking the same thing oh

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect**

**Read Neibolt Street 📖 @DENBROUGHNERD**

WE SHIPPERS LITERALLY HAVE A ONE TRACK MIND SLSKSLSKKS

_ Replying to  _ **@DENBROUGHNERD**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

DWIGHT AND LEE STILL NOT CANON EVEN IN THE MOVIE ADAPTATION??!?!?! [picture of a stylish looking animal crossing villager walking away while clutching a Gucci handbag  _ “im outta here…” _ ]

_ Replying to  _ **@pobodysnerfect**

**Read Neibolt Street 📖 @DENBROUGHNERD**

A BIG FAT FUCKING MOOD‼️

_Replying to_ **@pobodysnerfect** and **@DENBROUGHNERD**

**Poison Ivy’s bitch 🌹 @hvrleyqvinn**

how very sexy of Richie to even throw shade in the first place 👀👀 one could say he feels the same…

_ Replying to  _ **@hvrleyqvinn** and  **@pobodysnerfect**

**Read Neibolt Street 📖 @DENBROUGHNERD**

omg do you think he- 🤭

_ Replying to  _ **@hvrleyqvinn** and  **@DENBROUGHNERD**

**Piggy Smalls 🐷 @pobodysnerfect**

holy shit

_Replying to_ **@pobodysnerfect** and **@DENBROUGHNERD**

**Poison Ivy’s bitch 🌹 @hvrleyqvinn**

MIGHT BE A REACH but seems like it so 💀

———

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Eddie Kaspbrak ✔️ @EddieK**

Youre a dork

_ Replying to  _ **@EddieK**

**Richie Tozier 🤩 ✔️ @trashmouthtozier**

tell me more b-b-bam...🥺🥺

_ Replying to  _ **@trashmouthtozier**

**Eddie Kaspbrak ✔️ @EddieK**

I dont like you :) 

———

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Eddie Kaspbrak’s left thigh 👽 @kaspbraksnatasha**

HES BACK ! EDDIES BACK! 

**Eddie Kaspbrak’s left thigh 👽 @kaspbraksnatasha**

@EddieK STOP TAKING SUCH LONG BREAKS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA 🤬🤬😤

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Jules 🕸 @sprinklesthecat**

the way that i screamed when i got this notif 😳 

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Eddie raw me 💕 @mynameispearl**

EDDIE CAME BACK ON JUST TO TELL HIS CO-STAR THAT HES A DORK.. BRO SJSJSJJSJSJS

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Minnie me @peenilerejection**

EDDIE GIVE RICHIE A CHANCE PLEASE OMFFJSHDJD

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Bees Eves 💫 @rumhamdamn**

I JUST KNOW THESE TWO ARE GETTING ALONG I MEAN SJNDJEHE COME TF ONNNNN 

_ Replying to  _ **@rumhamdamn**

**Bees Eves 💫 @rumhamdamn**

alSO WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU CALL EDDIE?? @trashmouthtozier I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT IS 😭😭

———

**Bambs** 😝

**Richie:** so youre telling me 

**Richie:** thaT YOUVE NEVER SEEN TREMORS 😖😖?!!

**Eddie:** oh my gOD

**Eddie:** I dont make it a habit of watching horror movies okay?

**Eddie:** AND DONT YOU DARE SAY IT 

**Richie:** YOURE GONNA BE IN ONE DUDE

**Eddie:** BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW

**Richie:** beat you 👊🏻😝

**Eddie:** Fuck. You.

**Eddie:** Anyways, I dont watch that genre much and I especially dont watch cheesy ones from the 80s 🙄

**Richie:** first of all 🤚 it came out in 1990 bitch

**Eddie: 🖕🏻**

**Richie:** and second, its good bc its cheesy 🥵

**Richie:** you have to watch it Spagheds 

**Eddie:** dont call me that 😡

**Eddie:** also no

**Richie: 🥺**

**Richie:** plssssss

**Eddie:** Youre just like Quentin 😷

**Richie:** I am nothing like that toe fucker 🤢🤢

**Eddie:** sucker*

**Richie:** you sure about that? 👀

**Eddie:** ...no

**Eddie:** But still! Youre forcing me to watch a movie!!

**Richie:** thats bc youre missing out on a masterpiece‼️

**Richie:** its got kevin bacon and worms 😎 whats not to love?

**Eddie:** I cannot believe-

**Eddie:** Fine.

**Richie:** LETS GOOOOO 🥳🎉

**Eddie:** dont make me regret this 

**Richie:** its on netflix, my good sir 

**Eddie:** duh

**Richie:** owie

**Eddie:** But obviously I’m going over to yours 

**Eddie:** Better to watch with a friend, yeah?

**Richie:** Yeah

**Richie:** bring some 🍿

**Eddie:** I'll be there in 15

Eddie had knocked on his door fifteen minutes later as promised, with a box of microwavable popcorn, and shoved it into his hands upon walking in. 

Richie chuckled. “So I guess this proves that I can get you to do anything then, huh?”

Eddie poked him hard in the chest. “Shut it,” He said with an all too adorable scowl on his face. “And make the popcorn already so we can watch this stupid worm movie that you like for some reason.” 

“Have I told you already that I love our friendship?” That got Eddie to soften his expression...just a smidge, but it was there. He leaned back against the door and tilted his head up, meeting his gaze head-on. 

(And  _ god, _ will he ever get over their slight height difference?)

“Just make the popcorn, yeah?” Richie winked at him and walked off before he could do something embarrassing like reaching out to touch his waist for a second  _ (the briefest of seconds, he swore), _ as a gesture of reassurance that he would carry out his exact orders like a mindless pup would when playing fetch with their owner. 

_... _

Okay, that wasn’t the _best_ analogy but in his defense, his mind was going semi-crazy thinking about Eddie being in his apartment (not for the first time, might he add, but _still)_ and Eddie inviting himself over to watch an, admittedly, cheesy movie he was only half kidding about being a masterpiece. 

_ Almost feels like a da— _

With a vehement shake of his head, he banished that thought before it could finish and sat the box down on his kitchen counter. He tore open one side of it, popped a packaged bag out and tore the plastic open. He almost let out a snort when he finally noticed just how many packs of popcorn there was.

“Bold of you to assume we needed twenty-four packs of these, Eds.” He called out to him and watched as Eddie settled on his couch and fiddled with the tv remote, no doubt reading the synopsis of the movie the app provided and rolling his eyes. “You could’ve gotten one or two of those bags in the snack aisle.”

Eddie hummed and spared him a glimpse. “Knowing us, this probably won’t be the last time this happens.”

Richie quickly turned around and busied himself setting the microwave timer to hide his smile. He couldn’t quite ignore the foreign, almost  _ constant, _ feeling of his heart fluttering in his chest for that much longer.

He chanced a peek behind his shoulder and spotted Eddie now fiddling with his phone, looking all too comfortable and at home sitting on  _ his  _ couch, in his apartment.

Yeah...he couldn’t ignore it anymore, not when around him.

Not when it was because of him.

Slightly reeling from that thought, Richie took a deep breath and spent the next couple of minutes trying to compose himself.  _ (He was fucking pathetic, he knew). _ He braced his hands against the countertop and idly watched the bag inside the microwave spin round and round, listening intently to the dull humming. He stopped the timer just before it hit the zero and swiftly grabbed the bag and dumped its contents into the largest bowl he could find from his cabinet and then made his way towards his living room. He sat down on the couch, offering his companion the bowl.

Eddie eagerly grabbed at it, decidedly placing it in his lap, and muttered a quiet thank you. He then scooted closer to him, making Richie swallow nervously and tense up.  _ (And cue his leg starting to bounce in place, just fantastic!)  _ Eddie gave him a curious look, “You don’t mind right?”

Richie stopped his movements and shook his head, feigning a laid-back position,  _ totally not  _ thinking about how Eddie’s arm could brush his if he leaned just an inch closer his way.  _ Nope. _ “No no, cuddle away, babe.”

_ Babe?  _ Richie sighed and cursed his big fat mouth.  _ Might as fucking well let it slip that you think abo— _

“I wouldn’t call this cuddling,” Eddie tittered and gestured with a finger, to the little (or in Richie’s opinion,  _ near nonexistent)  _ space between them. “No, this is definitely...not cuddling.” He happily munched on the popcorn and shot him a coquettish smirk. 

_ Oh, he could play this game too,  _ Richie thought with a smirk. “What would you call it then?” He brought his thumb up to his mouth, going to chew on the tip, but Eddie slapped his hand away before he could even make contact.

“Don't do that, that's disgusting,” Eddie scolded him and then continued on normally, as if this small incident never happened. “And I don't know what I would call  _ this, _ but what I do know is that cuddling consists of actively touching, and your arm is definitely not around me, an—”

Richie cut him off without thinking. “Not yet anyway.”

Eddie stopped and studied him for a moment, taking in his comment. His brown eyes, practically glowing in the warm lighting of his living room.

A thrill shot through his system. Emboldening him.

“And your arm isn’t around me, not yet anyways, and I um...” Eddie faltered and bit his lower lip in thought, trying to find the ending of his sentence. Richie openly stared, almost transfixed.

He should look away.

“And I actually forgot what I was going to say, so...thanks for that,” Eddie whispered, his cheeks taking on a rosy color as he gripped onto the bowl in his lap.

_ Just...fuck. _

“So, it’s not cuddling?” Richie spoke finally, not knowing what else he could say. He itched to move closer, to close the slight distance between them.

But he couldn’t do that. He won’t. It wasn’t  _ like that.  _

Eddie shook his head slowly and uttered a  _ no,  _ and Richie barely nodded in response. He blindly reached for the remote, which Eddie kindly left for him on the arm of the couch, and pressed play.

“You’re gonna love this, Bambs. I just know it.”

“I really doubt that,” But the burgeoning smile on his face told Richie another story. And it suddenly struck him just how beautiful Eddie was, sitting there, unconsciously showing off his perfect dimples that Richie desperately wanted to touch _(to slot the pad of his thumb over and gently run it against the crease; to see if Eddie would even welcome it, if he would revel in it),_ and brown eyes that were _still fucking glowing._

He really needed to stop staring before—

“Valentine? His name is fucking Valentine?” Eddie asked in an incredulous tone, breaking him out of his daze. 

Richie furrowed his brow and let out a surprised laugh at his mini outburst. Because really, out of all of the things Eddie could complain about from the movie, he didn’t think one of them would be over a name.

“Yes, his name is fucking Valentine.” And just to be an ass, he snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Pay the fuck attention, you little brat." Eddie merely pouted and batted his hand away, settling down again in his seat.

“Oh my god...okay,” Eddie said resolutely. He then made a sweeping gesture, holding his hand out, leveling it with his gaze and waving it towards the screen in front of them as if physically doing that motion will automatically help him focus on the movie and nothing else. 

Richie watched him with a smile on his face. He hoped to god this wouldn’t be the last time they watched a movie together...

...amongst other  _ things. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Richie caught the feelings 😔😔 that’s so tragic of him. Also, if any of you were confused about his tweet... remember how all of Bill’s endings suck? So sad for Dwight and Lee (not that sad bc fuck King’s actual ending, they just don’t get to bang :((((().
> 
> Zero regrets about them watching Tremors. I’m like Richie, I think it’s a masterpiece 🤩.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy these days and that you support the very important movements that are going on today and everyday! ❤️❤️❤️


	5. This might sound gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie really hates Liam Neeson for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know what to say about this chapter except that Eddie is a tease 💀💀.
> 
> It’s been a while...again 😳😳. Never fear though, I’m not abandoning this fic. I could never! 
> 
> Also, (not important but it is to me 😤) netflix took off Tremors and right when I add it in a fic...w o w. 
> 
> Enjoy!

They developed somewhat of a routine after that night.

It took about a week after watching  _ Tremors, _ for Richie to muster up the courage to innocently suggest having another movie night to Eddie. Mostly because the action in itself sounded way too much like asking him out on a date  _ (which was 100% not the same thing and not even close to what he was doing and his intent)  _ and because every time he even  _ thought _ about bringing it up when sitting around and hanging out on set with Eddie, saying the words  _ hey Eds, so I was thinking we could—  _ his throat would seize up, preventing him from proposing anything and saving him from the embarrassment when Eddie inevitably said no.

Which he would, because really, why would he waste another night watching some random film that Richie deemed was life changing, when he could be doing something else with his free time. 

Never mind the fact that it was  _ Eddie’s _ idea in the first place to come over…but no, Richie was writing that off as a fluke.

It was probably the magic of Kevin Bacon anyways.

But after agonizing over it for what felt like the longest week of his life, one afternoon he decided to just bite the bullet. Enough was enough. He grabbed a single bag of popcorn on his way out the door that day and drove to set with the snack buckled up  _ (something he did just for chuckles) _ safely in his passenger seat _.  _ When he arrived, he parked his car in the designated lot, then speed walked to his trailer and promptly changed into his character’s wardrobe.

All the while, the mere presence of the popcorn silently taunted him from it’s spot on the small couch. _Fucker._ He nearly came close to throwing it away and dismissing the idea altogether but he grew a pair of balls at the last second and pocketed it in his jacket, before exiting his trailer. He headed in the direction of the ‘restaurant’ they were scheduled to be at that day and upon entering, he maneuvered his way towards the secluded area they were meant to film the infamous losers dinner scene, and immediately found Eddie hunched over in his seat at the table with his script in front of him, going over his lines like the little perfectionist he was.

Emphasis on the  _ little, _ of course. 

_ Now or never. Now or never. _

_ Richie walked up to the table and dropped the bag in front of Eddie, startling him in the process. Eddie picked it up and looked at him with a question in his eyes. _

_ “Your place tonight, Evil Dead 2.” Richie got out without fault, a small feat. He finally did it. Fuck. He pulled out the chair next to Eddie’s and sat down heavily. His heart felt like it just endured through an entire marathon with how fast he could feel it pumping.  _

_ Eddie eyed him and then the popcorn. “What ever happened to the first one?” He asked. _

_ Okay, not a no... _

_ Richie merely smirked at him, a false sense of confidence taking over. “First is a classic, of course, but everybody knows that the second one is the best out of all of them.” It also didn’t hurt that one of the character’s names was Bobby Joe, so sue him for wanting to see Eddie’s reaction to that one. _

_ Eddie put on a thinking face (one that looked suspiciously fake) then and hummed thoughtfully. He started messing with the pack in his hands; the crinkling of the plastic sounding unfairly loud even with the bustle of several crew members working around them, putting together some last touches to ready the set. “Why...my place?” He dragged out. _

_ For fuck’s sake. _

_ Richie huffed out a breath in both frustration and agony. The fucker was making this way harder than it needed to be and he was enjoying it too, if the way his lips were twitching up were any indication.  _

__

_ “Change of scenery, that’s all.” Richie said wryly, leaning his elbows onto his knees, peering up at Eddie from his position. _

_Eddie regarded him for a moment, seeming to be thinking it over some more. But finally, (fucking_ finally), _his_ _lips curled into a full grin. “And what am I supposed to do with this until then?” He asked, gesturing to the pack in his hand. His tone, light, despite the gripe._

Until th— _ It took everything in him not to fall off his chair right then and there.  _

_ He said yes. He said yes. He said yes.  _

_ Richie shot up in his seat and felt something akin to excitement take over his entire system. He blew out a relieved sigh and smiled wide. “I’m sure you can figure it out.” _

_ “Oh really?”  _

_ “Really really,” He remarked, shooting him finger guns and blowing on the imaginary smoke right after, getting a disbelieving laugh out of Eddie.  _

_ And could this day get any better? _

_ “Oh my god I was so right, you are a dork.” He was about to respond back and jokingly defend himself, but he was stopped in his tracks when Eddie suddenly shoved the bag in the center of his chest. Holding it there with the tips of his fingers. _

_ And Richie could understand the pokes, he could understand the accidental arm brushes, and he could even understand their fucking thighs touching those couple of times they sat close and why they all felt so nice (and why they only ever felt nice when it was coming from  _ him) _ but this...this was different because  _ Eddie wasn’t even touching him directly this time,  _ jesus christ. The bag had no business feeling this good against his chest, what the fuck. _

_ “Hold onto it for me? Would you?” Eddie asked. And it didn’t matter in the long run. This one single bag of popcorn didn’t make a difference. If either one of them had lost track of it throughout the day, Richie knew he could easily make the trip back to his apartment to pick up another one from the box. He would have twenty-two identical bags left to choose from, because he hadn’t touched it since that night. Saving them for, well,  _ this. 

_ But Richie still found himself nodding, taking it from Eddie and winking. _

_ (For some reason or another). _

_ He didn’t remember until later on that Eddie said he didn’t care to watch cheesy horror movies from the 80s.  _

And so it became a regular thing between them, their movie nights.

They had a system in place, these past few weeks. With each of them taking turns hosting and picking the movies. Richie regularly stuck with the genres sci-fi and horror and always double-checked in advance that the movies he chose were readily available and  _ free _ to watch  _ (because he was nice like that),  _ while Eddie liked to pick whatever movie he randomly thought of off the top of his head; making his life so much more difficult. Richie had already lost count of how many times he stumbled his way through  _ four  _ streaming apps; grumbling to himself as he typed in the search bar for Eddie’s damned suggestions, only to finally cave in at the end and pay the rental price listed on amazon prime. 

All the while, Eddie sat back and watched him struggle throughout the entire process with a smug smile on his face. Every...single...time.

Who the fuck even thinks about the movie _Shark Tale_ at eight o’clock, on a Tuesday night?! Richie was still pouting about that purchase. 

“Hey, I come bearing your giant plate of shrimp,” Eddie said as he walked into Richie’s apartment, carrying their dinner in his arms. They got tired of eating popcorn early on with how frequently they found themselves hanging out, and opted to grab take-out most of the time now to eat during the films. Tonight’s dinner was Chinese. “You know, your food alone is hard to carry. Ever think of ordering less, jackass?”

“You say that as if you don’t go to the gym everyday,” Richie tsked while grabbing his half of the load from Eddie’s arms, leading the way to the coffee table in his living room. 

“Not everyday,” He protested. They worked as a unit arranging the food on the table. Eddie got out the napkins and plastic utensils, setting them neatly in the middle, while Richie sat down their drinks and threw away the bags in the trash located in his kitchen.

“Every other day then,” He teased as he walked back to their regular dining spot.

When Eddie just flipped him off in response, Richie decided to switch topics. “So, what movie did you happen to just think of right this second, since you obviously wait until the last minute every time.” Eddie jabbed him in the arm with his straw for that comment.

Richie mock gasped. “I beg your pardon, but that was very unsanitary, sir!” He spoke in a refined British accent. A fan favorite voice of his, but most importantly:  _ Eddie’s _ favorite.

“The wrapper is still on, idiot—see!” Eddie waved the straw in his face, drawing a laugh out of him. He then continued on with his rant, “And for the love of god, no matter how impressive that always is, please don’t ever do that again. You know I hate it,” He complained and settled on the cushion next to him. Pressing close to him as if he had an aversion to  _ his _ half of the couch...

“No promises, luv.” Richie more than expected the slap that landed on his shoulder and chuckled as he opened his rather large container of shrimp lo mein. His mouth practically watered at the delicious sight of his mountain of noodles in front of him.

It was gonna be a good one tonight, he just knew it.

“So what’s the verdict then, Bambi?” He grabbed the remote and waited for his answer, secretly hoping it’d be something that was on netflix.

_ Or hulu, or hbo, or prime… _

And now that he thought about it, he was paying for way too many streaming apps.  _ Hm. _

“Okay, don't make fun of me,” Eddie said. 

“Why?” Richie curiously asked, turning his head to look at him.

_ Seriously  _ making fun of Eddie? Utterly impossible in his mind. Unless, his choice had something to do with— _ oh no,  _ Richie thought, suddenly feeling a shudder go through his body thinking about  _ him _ and his stupid face. “Wait, hold up. You’re not gonna make me put on The Phantom Menace because of your old crush on Liam Neeson right? Christ, if I knew debating about the quality of the prequels earlier with you would’ve led to this, I would’ve kept my mouth shut.” He groaned and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself in advance to watch some long-haired, asshole on his screen for two hours.

_ Screw Liam Neeson,  _ he thought grumpily to himself. And he was  _ not _ jealous! He wasn’t! He just...really hated his fucking face, okay?

“Wrong on so many levels, fuckface,” Richie yelped as Eddie pinched his arm several times. “That’s not what I was picking at all!” 

“Ow, okay okay!” He moved his arm out of harm’s way and rubbed it in comfort. 

“You deserved that for assuming,” Eddie said, matter-of-factly. 

He let out a snort. “What then?” Richie asked. “And I promise I won’t make fun,” He conceded. He was beyond curious now about Eddie’s choice.

“I was just going to say that we maybe watch one of my movies,” Eddie took a sip of his drink and waited for his response.

...which didn’t take long. 

“I thought you hated watching your own work?” Richie asked, pleasantly surprised as well as feeling slightly baffled by his suggestion. He distinctly remembered some time ago, Eddie telling him this. He never watched any of his movies for his own entertainment, save for that obligatory first and  _ last _ viewing at it’s premiere release.

_ Weird. _

“It’s just been a while, that’s all...” Eddie shrugged and took a bite out of his own container of moo goo gai pan. “If you’re okay with it?” He asked timidly, speaking around his fork and Richie tried not to focus on how the action  _ (and the way he asked it) _ endeared him all the more. 

And he should know already that Richie wouldn’t say no to him. That he was hard-pressed to even consider thinking about it, when Eddie would look at him like that.

Like there was a small part of him that wanted more. Of what, Richie didn’t know.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?” He asked softly, and Eddie began to smile, then. 

“No reason,” Eddie replied innocently. “And it’s on Hulu so you don’t have to pay this time around. You’re welcome.” He playfully nudged him with his foot.

Richie nodded and internally cheered,  _ he was saving four bucks this time around! _

———

The movie was  _ good. _ Everything about it was top notch in his humble  _ (and maybe, slightly biased)  _ opinion. Richie liked the plot and the characters  _ (though he did wince a bit when it was revealed that Eddie had a love interest but whatever...not like he was seriously bothered by it...)  _ and he got a kick out of lightly ribbing Eddie for some of his ridiculous lines in the film and hearing him scoff back and bump against his shoulder in retaliation. 

Yeah, things  _ were  _ going great, until everything came crashing down when about halfway through, a  _ very  _ unexpected nudity scene came up and he saw Eddie’s ass.

_ Eddie’s bare fucking ass.  _

His eyes had widened and if he was chewing on food right then and there, then Richie’s sure he would’ve choked on it at that moment. But he wasn’t so lucky. Instead, he had lost all motor control and his hand slipped while holding his plate and the last remaining half of his dinner fell in a sloppy mess in his lap. 

_ He wanted to die.  _

“Oh my god!” Eddie fell back against the couch and covered his mouth with his hands, trying to stifle his laughter. “I am so sorry, I totally forgot that that was in there.”

He cleared his throat then and tried to get his attention by pulling on his shirt sleeve. “I promise,” Eddie nodded vehemently while still hiding his mouth behind his other hand. 

Richie had to look away for his own sanity’s sake. 

“H-how,” Richie sputtered in response as he fumbled around and picked up his now empty plate from the floor. He set it on the table with a thump. “How could you forget something like this?!” 

“Um...bad memory?” Eddie offered weakly and when Richie just gave him an exasperated look back, he laughed again and pushed him away. “Okay, go change now! Your pants are disgusting, ew.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Richie muttered to himself as he stood up, watching in despair as the leftover shrimp and noodles on his lap fell pathetically to the floor. He could  _ cry.  _ Richie awkwardly ran a hand through his hair as he walked towards his room and closed the door. He leaned his back against it, shutting his eyes. Trying  _ desperately  _ to get the fresh image of Eddie’s ass out of his head.

(And failing).

He was fucking screwed. Because,  _ of course  _ Eddie would have the most perfect ass Richie’s ever seen. God couldn’t have given him a break and made  _ one _ aspect of Eddie unattractive,  _ no.  _

It was bad enough he had these feelings for his friend and questioning everything he knew about himself because of it, but to actually see  _ that  _ and confirm to himself that  _ yes,  _ he was most definitely an ass man and more specifically, an  _ Eddie-only  _ ass man, and that he wanted to do unspeakable things to said ass…

Richie sighed. Well, he knew what he was doing  _ (again) _ tonight...Richie opened his eyes and spotted the already half used bottle of lotion he had on his nightstand.

Shaking his head, he quickly changed into another pair of sweatpants, cursing himself for taking so long already. He ventured back into his living room, ready to face the music and Eddie’s teasing jabs about how clumsy he was.  _ Fun.  _ Walking back in, he stopped short at the armrest of the couch and saw that the floor was now clean of the mess and that the movie was still playing. Neither of them thought to pause it. 

He glanced to his left and was about to ask for Eddie to pass him the remote to rewind a bit but did a double take when he found Eddie lounging on his couch, leaning back on his elbows. The corners of his lips were twitching from barely being able to hold back a grin, looking very much like the  _ cat who ate the canary.  _

“You want an encore performance?” He was gazing up at him, amusement shining in his eyes. “See the real thing?” 

_ The little fucking minx. _

Richie shook his head, feeling the ever-present tug within him, drawing him closer to the other man. He wasn’t fighting it. Not at this second. The need to come out on top of this game he always found himself playing along to was more pressing.

“Come here,” He said in a low tone, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Eddie froze. “What?” He got out.

He took a step closer, his legs knocking against the armrest. “You heard me.” 

“Say it again?” He said meekly, and Richie would’ve laughed at that but he remained silent instead, relishing in the way Eddie squirmed under his gaze.

“Come here.” Richie repeated and beckoned him with a finger this time. 

Eddie’s eyes raked over him, gripping onto the cushions underneath him. “Why should I?” 

Richie leaned forward, resting his hands in front of him on the armrest. He leveled his gaze with his. “You made me drop my food—ruining my favorite pair of pajama pants, by the way.“

“Like that was my fault!” Eddie whined. “You’re the one who dropped the plate, you uncoordinated fuck!”

“And  _ whose _ ass made me drop the plate!” He exclaimed. Eddie rolled his eyes and was about to retaliate, but Richie cut him off. “So come over here and receive your punishment. I mean, I think it’s only fair, right?”

Eddie let out a snort then  _ (and a flattering one at that, seriously fuck him for being so perfect)  _ and tilted his head to the side. “What are you gonna do then, Trashmouth?” 

“Well, I distinctly remember a little birdie telling me that you were ticklish,” Richie pursed his lips, feigning a thoughtful expression. “Care to remind me who that was, Eds?” 

Eddie gasped and scrambled to sit up. “You wouldn’t dare.” He warned him.

Richie wiggled his fingers threateningly. “Oh, try me.” He lunged at the other man and Eddie shot off the couch just before he could attack his sides; a giggle escaping his lips as he ran away from him. Richie eagerly chased after the smaller man, not paying attention as he jumped over his coffee table and knocked over its contents.

_ He can clean it up later, anyways. This was more important.  _

Eddie made it to his kitchen with Richie hot on his heels, circling him around his kitchen table several times and chuckling as he dodged every object thrown by Eddie in an attempt to protect himself. Once he ran out of things to throw, Eddie made a break for the living room again, while still having the time to toy with him and childishly stick out his tongue in a taunt.

Richie huffed and gained speed, trying to reach out and grab the tail end of his shirt, but he failed spectacularly when he missed and instead slipped on a stray napkin and fell. Hard. 

“Fuck!” He landed on his back and groaned. So...twice in one night he embarrassed himself in front of Eddie.  _ Lovely.  _

“Oh my god Rich, are you okay?” Eddie was standing over him, his face full of concern.

And a light bulb went off.

Richie twisted his expression to make it look like he was in pain and he unsteadily lifted a hand to point to his lower back. “I think I pulled something. Help me up?” He held up his other hand in the air, waiting for him to take it.

Eddie eagerly nodded  _ (and damn did he deserve a daytime emmy or something for this performance)  _ and grabbed his hand. The second he did, Richie yanked him forward and he landed with an  _ oof  _ on top of him.

He waited for the inevitable explosion. 

“Oh, you fucking dick!” He snickered as Eddie wailed, slightly out of breath as he pushed against his chest. He sat up with a fire lighting up his eyes, his knees braced on either side of Richie’s hips. “See if I ever take pity on you again!” Eddie raised a fist to smack him again and on instinct, Richie grabbed him by the wrist and placed his other hand on the small of his back. He quickly flipped them over then, pinning Eddie down with his body weight. Both of them let out soft grunts when they settled against each other.

Eddie’s thighs still framed his hips. He fit snugly in between them. 

And in hindsight, he should’ve thought this through more. About where they would’ve ended up once he pulled Eddie down with him, closing the distance and pressing them against each other. 

But he wasn’t thinking. He never did when around him. It was a wonder he got  _ anything  _ done with Eddie’s presence lingering like a shadow in his mind from the moment he met him. 

He had Eddie’s wrist pinned to the floor next to his head. Eddie had moved his other hand to grip at his bicep. He was looking up at him from beneath his eyelashes; his soft, brown eyes and the glow around them never faded, even in this position, and his face red from their impromptu workout.  _ And yeah,  _ Richie was sure his looked the same. He could feel the heat running from his cheeks and flowing to his chest, settling there like an anchor. 

Weighing him down, lower and lower—Richie couldn’t stop his eyes from sweeping a few inches south, chancing a glance towards his lips. 

_ —and lower.  _

_ What are you gonna do then, Trashmouth? _

And nothing. Not a damn thing at all. 

He was a fucking coward.

Richie quickly averted his gaze and mustered up the courage to smile, hoping it didn’t look as shaky as it felt. “Hi.” The word tumbled from his lips, breathless, before he could stop it.  _ Fuck.  _

“Hi,” Eddie whispered back and completely took him by surprise when, in the next second, he lightly slapped his cheek with his free hand, jostling his glasses in the process.

_ Leave it to Eddie to resort to violence again. _

Richie laughed as he let go of his grip and rolled over, letting out a contented sigh when landing on his back next to Eddie. He righted his glasses on his face, a smile still tugging at his lips.

“That was for tricking me,” Eddie spoke then, smirking as he turned his head toward him. 

“Yeah, I know,” He trailed off, staring up at the ceiling, thinking to himself just how close he came to ruining everything.

Over a  _ crush.  _ A stupid fucking crush that made him feel like he traveled back in time to being a fourteen year old boy who blushed every time a cute girl even looked his way in class.

Except that this time it was a cute Eddie.

And he was slowly going crazy. 

But what’s three more months of pretending that everything was fine?

———

They were both standing in the doorway, and have been lingering there for ten minutes now, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Neither were ready to say goodbye for the night just yet.

Or maybe it was just Richie that wasn’t ready.

“Can I...try something?” Eddie asked then, and if Richie wasn’t so caught up in trying to decipher what he meant, he would’ve noticed the way Eddie was fidgeting with his hands.

He figured food was his safest bet.

“Um, sure?” Richie scrunched his face up, and glanced over his shoulder to take a peek towards his kitchen and hummed. “I don't know what though. From what I remember, there’s some leftovers in the fridge, which I don’t think you’ll—” He stopped when he felt Eddie smack him gently on his shoulder. 

He looked back to find him with an amused expression on his face. “What?” Richie asked, not getting it. 

“God, you’re so stupid,” Eddie said with a shake of his head before raising up on his toes and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

And  _ oh, he was asking for permission to— _ Richie willed himself not to collapse to the floor. His cheek was burning from the contact alone or maybe because he was blushing, or at least, starting to. 

_ A fourteen year old boy who blushed every time a cute girl even looked his way. _

He hated himself.

“Later, Rich,” Eddie murmured, backing away with a shy smile.

“R-Right, bye,” He stuttered back like the dumb fuck he was. He waved as Eddie turned the corner to reach the stairwell and sighed in relief once he was out of sight. 

_ Fuck it and fuck everything else.  _ He was taking matters into his own hands, he decided right then and there.

———

He barreled into Bill’s trailer the next day and pleaded his case for Dwight and Lee’s relationship to not be so  _ open-ended _ at the end of the movie. Bill had looked bewildered more than anything at the unexpected intrusion, considering it was early in the morning and not the usual time he was used to seeing him on set, but Richie still chattered on, feeling too wired up to stop and think through  _ what the fuck he was seriously suggesting.  _

They all got the revised section of the script a week after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddie 100% remembered he did partial nudity for the film, shhhh he was just trying to flirt and see what Richie’s reaction would be 👀👀. 
> 
> There will be two more chapters of “build-up” until we finally get into the social media aspect of this fic more 🤩🤩 I have bigger things planned for that so let’s pray it takes me less time to churn out these chapters. Bless you readers who have stuck around since I first posted this 😳...
> 
> Anyways! I hope y’all enjoyed this one 💜. Lemme know what you think or whatever ✌️! Hope everyone has a great day xxx


	6. What’s the opposite of Pretty Woman?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie realizes the consequences to his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter a million times omg. There was also supposed to be a lot more to this too, buuuut I decided I’ll save the rest for the next one because it’s been a while and I wanted to post this early as a treat 🙈!
> 
> There’s this one line that I really love in here and I just wanted to say that I’m very proud of myself for thinking of it lmao. 
> 
> Okay! Onto the reading folks! Enjoy 🤩

**Richie Tozier 🤩 ✔️ @trashmouthtozier**

Spaghetti Baby’s first emmy? 🤯😳 #REAL #NOTCLICKBAIT‼️ @EddieK 🙈 [picture of Eddie proudly holding up Richie’s emmy]

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Amelia 🧚♀️🧚♀️ @eddieslovenugget**

LOOK AT HIM 💕 I miss he 🥺🥺

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Minnie me @peenilerejection**

STOPP THIS IS LITERALLY THE DREAM 

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Jules 🕸 @sprinklesthecat**

“SPAGHETTI BABY”??!? HE DID NOT JUST CALL EDDIE THAT 

_ Replying to  _ **@sprinklesthecat**

**Jules 🕸 @sprinklesthecat**

but why is that so cute tho i- [picture of Marge Simpson covering her face while trying to get a peek]

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Eddie Kaspbrak’s left thigh 👽 @kaspbraksnatasha**

SPAGHETTI BABY [picture of The Office’s Pam Beesly sitting at her desk and crying]

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**feral rat boy @goblintwink**

omg i smell a friendship 👀👀

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Richie’s Hawaiian Shirts 🌺 @itsgonnabemay**

no one:

absolutely no one:

not even your mother that he fucked:

Richie Tozier: nickname time 😎

_ Replying to  _ **@itsgonnabemay**

**richie i am free on thursday @stellasgibbysson**

spaghetti baby omg 💀

_ Replying to  _ **@stellasgibbysson**

**Richie’s Hawaiian Shirts 🌺 @itsgonnabemay**

pray for him 😔😔

———

_ Replying to  _ **@trashmouthtozier**

**Eddie Kaspbrak ✔️ @EddieK**

thanks! I hate it 

_ Replying to  _ **@EddieK** and  **@trashmouthtozier**

**Eddie Kaspbrak ✔️ @EddieK**

my name is Eddie**** dumbass 😊

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Richie Tozier 🤩 ✔️ @trashmouthtozier**

Spaghetti Baby doth protests too much 😖 #onespaghetti ☝️ #holdthebaby 🤬🤬

———

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Cheerios Kaspbraks 🌈 @KlapbrakCheerio**

I LOVE

Quoted  **@EddieK** ‘s tweet

**Eddie raw me 💕 @mynameispearl**

EDDIE COMING BACK ON TWITTER JUST TO INSULT RICHIE AGAIN OMGKGMG

_ Replying to  _ **@mynameispearl**

**Frannypack 🎀 @kaspbrakattack**

LITERALLY HOW DO I HACK INTO RICHIES ACCOUNT JUST SO EDDIE WOULD COME ON MORE

_ Replying to  _ **@mynameispearl**

**Bees Eves 💫 @rumhamdamn**

richies dumbass is the ✨formula✨ god bless 🙏🏻😌

Quoted  **@trashmouthtozier** ‘s tweet

**Richie Tozier’s FBI agent 👾 @loveliza**

Eddie will be blocking Richie in 2-3 business days 🥰

_ Replying to  _ **@loveliza**

**Faye Lang 🌙 @hopevandynes**

as he should LMAO WHAT EVEN IS A SPAGHETTI BABY SJHDKDJDK

**Poison Ivy’s bitch 🌹 @hvrleyqvinn**

if they keep on doing this, i will truly be forced to stan 🤟 [screenshots showing Richie and Eddie’s tweets towards each other]

———

It was the end of the work day and as per usual, Richie had already hopped in the shower for a quick rinse, washing away the studio’s imitation of grey water that they’ve been dousing all of them in for the past couple of weeks now. He wasn’t a fan of it, but boy, was he grateful that he didn’t have to be covered from head to toe in fake blood like Bev or whatever the fuck kind of substance they’d made special for Eddie that Richie knew was coming soon for him, if going by the way Eddie had subtly hinted towards him that he didn’t want filming to end in the cistern so soon. 

Richie himself didn’t want it to end for different reasons—stupid and  _ selfish _ reasons. The cistern meant that he and Eddie had more scenes together and, naturally, it wouldn’t be weird  _ at all  _ if he tended to gravitate toward Eddie’s side on set...and  _ staying  _ there.

Though, if he really wanted to seem less conspicuous about things, he should probably stop giving Eddie  _ (and only Eddie) _ piggyback rides in between takes…

(But in his defense, no one else asked! Not even Bev!)

All that was left now after his shower was getting dressed and then heading back home. He was in the middle of buttoning up his shirt  _ (a favorite of his, a navy blue hawaiian-style shirt, with dancing cartoon avocados printed all over it that Maggie had sent him for his birthday),  _ when a gentle knock sounded on his trailer door. 

“Hey,” Eddie said as he poked his head in. Once he saw that he was decent, he fully entered and closed the door behind him. The rest of his buttons were forgotten the second Richie laid his eyes on Eddie. 

“Sup, Eds?” He greeted, not even trying to hide his shit-eating grin from the other man. Richie knew  _ exactly _ what he was doing when he typed out the caption for today’s tweet, just as well as he knew about the scolding he was about to receive. It was a small price to pay for outing his third favorite nickname for Eddie, but what else was he supposed to say? Type out what actually was on his mind when looking at it?

Hard fucking no.

Besides, it always amused him more than anything to be the target of one of Eddie’s angry rants, and Richie knew he was in for a good one the second he hit ‘tweet’ earlier. Though, right now, seeing as how Eddie was calmly approaching him—idly holding his hands behind his back, not even a hint of annoyance in his expression—it looked like a rant wasn't what’s in store for today’s random visit to his trailer. 

He was almost disappointed.  _ Almost.  _

“Nothing’s up,” Eddie replied with a tiny shake of his head. He stopped in front of him and offered up a cheeky smile.

Richie raised an eyebrow. He didn’t believe him for a second. “Bullshit.”

Eddie let out a snort. “Okay fine,” He dropped his overly cheerful facade with a wave of his hands that Richie couldn’t help but find endearing, and leaned in closer to whisper, like he was going to tell him a secret. “It’s just- you’re gonna love me.” He stepped back again and grinned. 

Richie mimicked Eddie’s move and indulged him with a smile of his own. “And why’s that?” He asked. 

“I was just thinking—“

“Uh oh,” Richie blurted out.

“Shut it, you dick!” Eddie flicked him in the arm and Richie only laughed. And  _ there.  _ There was that brief flash of annoyance on Eddie’s face that he was looking forward to seeing earlier.

“I can’t believe I hang out with you. You’re so annoying,” Eddie pouted. 

“Yeah, I don't know if you noticed by now but annoying is kind of my brand, so...” Richie trailed off with a smirk and smugly folded his arms. Eddie’s gaze flitted down, following his movements, and lingered there for a few seconds before locking back onto his face again.

_ Huh. _

“Well then, I hate your brand,” Eddie said.

“Something tells me that’s a lie, Bambs.” Eddie rolled his eyes but Richie noticed the small upturn in his lips all the same.  _ Bingo. _

Eddie took in a steadying breath, starting over. “As I was saying—“

“You’re deflecting,” Richie boasted, more than willing to keep this going on far longer than it should. Anything to see Eddie becoming even more irritated with every secon—

“I think we should kiss.”

And it was like a switch was flipped. Where everything felt warm and fuzzy  _ (and he will not elaborate on that, thank you very much)  _ before, Richie suddenly felt the air around them turn cold and  _ fucking shit, _ did the nervous sweats start under his armpits then. Probably from the way he was tightly crossing his arms against his chest in an effort to cease the totally random and unrelated rapid beating of his heart.

_ Someone, somewhere, could probably hear his internal screams too. _

Eddie did not just- Richie stood there, frozen, his mouth gaping open like a goddamn fish.

Eddie preened at seeing his stupefied reaction. “See, I told you you were gonna love me,” He teased with an innocent grin that made Richie want to fall to his knees.

Instead, he let his arms go limp at his sides. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, I told you you were gonna—”

“No no no,” Richie held a hand up, stopping him. “I meant, what the fuck did you say before that?” There was no way. _There was no fucking way._

Eddie curiously eyed his outstretched hand and then met his eyes in a challenge. “You heard me.” 

His screams grew louder.

Richie let out a shallow breath as he felt a tight knot forming in the pit of his stomach at hearing  _ his  _ words being thrown back in his face from that night. The memory of it was coming back to him at full force now. The memory of walking in on the alluring sight of Eddie lazily leaning back on his couch, looking like he was the proud owner of the brown piece of furniture. Looking as if he  _ belonged  _ there, waiting for him with a smirk on his face. Waiting to begin a dance they knew all the steps to, from it’s repeated occurrence.

A dance that’s never reached its conclusion between them. Always interrupted.

Eddie’s words rang clear in his head. The utterance of a question. 

A wry smile pulled at his lips. “Say it again?” Richie requested in a low voice and he tried not to be swept by the way Eddie’s dimples had deepened in response.

(He remembered too).

“I think we should...kiss,” Eddie never broke eye contact as he enunciated each word with a poke to his chest _(and jesus fucking christ did he needed to stop touching him all the time before Richie’s insides decided all on it’s own to melt into a permanent puddle),_ dragging the last one out by drawing a tiny smiley face above the ‘V’ his unbuttoned shirt made. There was an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes when he finished drawing the curve of the smile.

Richie cleared his throat, feeling as if he just swallowed an entire bag of sand, one torturous handful at a time. “Why...should we?” He stammered out, hesitantly.

He just needed the confirmation.

“Because of our big kissing scene,” Eddie said as if it was obvious, which... _ right. _

_That_ was what he was talking about.

A sharp pang came from beneath his rib cage. Looking away, Richie jerkily nodded and took half a step back, putting some distance between them. Because Eddie wasn’t suggesting they kiss just for the hell of it. Which, of course, would’ve been a completely silly thing to suggest and a silly thing to think of too.

And Richie’s brain  _ for sure, _ didn’t automatically go there a second ago. Nope. 

_ Fucking- fuck. _

Richie wanted to laugh then, feeling unbelievably stupid for thinking exactly that. Because he’d forgotten for just a moment about everything else, his mind miles away as he focused on what Eddie was saying and  _ doing  _ to him. He’d forgotten that the feelings he felt were mortifyingly unrequited in the end, and that Eddie was simply a tactile person. Touching was second nature to him and it didn’t matter that he didn’t do it a lot with the others as much as he did it with him. It was instinctive. 

And a part of Richie was so fucking grateful that Eddie didn’t touch the other losers so much, no matter how much it put him on edge to feel Eddie’s hands on him  _ (and yet another reason why he should stop it with the piggyback rides...).  _ He would’ve pulled his hair out if he witnessed Eddie laying teasing jabs on Mike’s arm or even Eddie tugging on the tail end of Ben’s shirt to get his attention. Little actions that most likely meant nothing to him, but absolutely  _ everything _ to Richie. 

He’d also forgotten all about their scripted kiss.

It was the second major kiss at the end of the movie. The kiss that he impulsively suggested to Bill. The same one he later convinced himself would never come to fruition for his own sanity’s sake.

The same one that came back, biting him in the ass a week later. 

Oh, and the same fucking one that prompted Eddie to haughtily wave the newly revised pages in front of his face and say,  _ looks like we’re lovers. _

_ And did he have to say it like that?! _

But everything was fine. It wasn’t like he’d thrown up immediately after his talk with Bill  _ (once the adrenaline had worn off and the realization of what he’d done settled in),  _ and it wasn’t like he’d thrown up again when he read  _ it  _ for the first time. Everything truly was fine. Richie ultimately considered it to be a good thing that’d happened. His original, and admittedly, less thought-out plan, was for a kiss to happen between them because Richie knew for a fact that if he just knew what it was like to kiss Eddie, the constant curious thoughts that floated about his head that sometimes distracted him during the day would finally go away and eventually, his crush would too. 

It’d happened before, especially in middle school when he kissed Becky Weston for the first time and she'd gotten a little too enthusiastic with her tongue that his thirteen year old self did not find hot, and if his body was so keen on acting like he was at that age again, then  _ obviously _ the same logic would apply here too.

It was the most perfect and full-proof plan he ever had. And it was going to work, Richie was sure of it. 

(But staring down at Eddie before him now, he was seriously doubting it).

“You think we should kiss for practice?” Richie asked and it was a miracle he didn’t stutter.

“For practice, yup,” Eddie nodded and Richie envied the way he could be so blasé talking about this, as if it wasn’t a  _ big deal.  _ As if the thought alone didn’t make him want to combust into a pile of ash on the floor.

Clearly, he needed to get out of this.

“Yeah, no offense Eds, but I kind of already know how to kiss.”

“So do I, idiot, but this is different! It’s not like normal kissing,” He insisted with a nod and when Richie made a disbelieving noise, Eddie went on. “No, I’m serious! But whatever—look, it was going to happen anyways so we might as well practice to make sure things look good for the camera.”

The kiss was expected to last for all of five seconds,  _ why the fuck would they even need to practice?!  _ Richie resisted the strong urge to voice his thoughts.

“Uh, raincheck on that? Yeah?” Trying to keep his composure, Richie gave him a weak, double thumbs up, hoping the other man would drop this conversation altogether and never mention a word of it again. 

The Powers That Be must’ve taken pity on his poor soul because Eddie then let out a sigh. “Okay fine.” He stepped back and leaned against the small countertop behind him. 

“Fine?” Richie repeated. When Eddie let out a tiny nod, relief flooded his senses. He felt like he just dodged the biggest fucking bullet. Now he wasn’t entirely safe, the kiss was  _ still _ going to happen, but at least he bought himself some time to actually deal with his impending death the day they film it.

“Okay then,” Richie blew out a breath and clapped once to clear the air between them. He then snapped his fingers as he remembered what he had planned for them tonight. “Hey, get ready for tonight. I have TCM 2 on standby for our—“

Eddie cut him off. “I just thought it’d be fun, you know?” Richie’s blood ran cold, and he knew there was more. There was a point to this. With downcast eyes, Eddie shrugged as he focused his gaze on his hand tracing random shapes onto the counter’s surface. “I mean, considering I’ve done it before...”

Acid burned down Richie’s throat. His film recommendation pushed from his mind as his thoughts strayed back to Eddie’s movie and to the love interest he filmed a nude scene with that lasted  _ a fucking lot longer than five seconds.  _

Chloë Sevigny. The little fucking bitch. 

_ Fuck that.  _

“Let’s do it,” Richie heard himself saying in a strained voice.

Brown eyes bored into his again. “Oh? What changed your mind all of a sudden?” He asked.

Richie wanted to bark out a laugh.

“Like you said, it was going to happen anyways, we might as well.” He bit the bullshit excuse out, because he wasn’t going to say out loud the real reason. How if anybody were to practice with Eddie, then it would be  _ him _ and not anyone else. 

At hearing that, Eddie visibly perked up. He moved away from the counter and drifted closer to him again. “My place tonight. Usual time.” He laid a couple of pats on his chest and shot him a sweet smile, before turning to leave. “Bye!”

Richie collapsed onto his couch with a pitiful groan the second he heard the door click shut.

He was so fucked.

He shoved his face into his hands unthinkingly and winced when he heard a small creak coming from his glasses. He reached up to take them off and stared down at them in his lap, his eyes going over the smudges his fingers left. 

A thought came to him then and his eyes widened in horror.

_ If his glasses fogged up once tonight, Richie was going to fucking throw himself out a window. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddie’s so horny for Richie and the man is just,, not getting it.
> 
> The glasses fogging up thing is also painfully real, and it’s happened to me before 💀💀 not fun stuff. 
> 
> Well then! I’m off to go write some more for them 🥴 Lemme know what you think ❤️❤️ Have a wonderful day/night lovely readers :P


	7. Touched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every kiss begins with an ulcer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can’t rush perfection 💅 TOTALLY KIDDING, but sorry for the long wait yet again 💀 Maybe you’ll all forgive me by the end of this chapter...
> 
> The social media part of this fic will officially ~begin~ in the next one, so I’m pretty excited about that 🥰 What happens next (and after that, and after that, and after that—) is a doozy and I don’t think any of the fake twitter stans are ready to be properly introduced to the chaotic duo that is Richie and Eddie 😝
> 
> *clears throat* I hope you all enjoy this one 💓👄💓

_ Okay, new plan,  _ Richie thought, erratically bouncing different ideas off his brain as he slowly but surely climbed up the never ending flight of stairs to Eddie’s floor.  _ (And either he was going crazy or the maintenance staff really did add about a hundred more steps to it right before he got here...) _

Richie had it as soon as he made it to the landing.

_ Go in and just act normal. Follow Eddie’s lead.  _

And that was all that he had to do, yeah? To survive tonight? Certainly this was his best course of action. 

_ Good, good, good, good, good, good-  _ Before he knew it, Richie arrived in front of Eddie’s door. He stared intently at the painted over, beige surface; the number thirty-two hung just beneath the peephole.  _ Good.  _ He went to knock but froze at the last second with his fist midair. 

Thinking about how many stairs he just climbed, Richie self-consciously did one last pit-sniff check and sighed in relief when his armpits smelled normal and definitely better than they had earlier after his conversation with Eddie. The minute he got home, he had to dump his button down in the hamper and change out of his dark brown undershirt and replace it with an identical one because there was no way in hell he was making it obvious how anxious he was for tonight by showing up at Eddie’s place wearing a completely different shirt. As if he consciously changed half of his outfit to  _ look better _ for him.

_ Nuh-uh, not happening, _ Richie had seven more plain brown shirts just like the one he wore today  _ (the advantages of regularly shopping at Walmart)  _ and if asked, he could easily explain away his missing avocado shirt too. He’ll claim he spilled something on it, which Eddie would immediately believe and roll his eyes at, so  _ bam,  _ problem solved. Richie was already one step ahead, and smelling extra clean too, while the other man remained blissfully unaware of his earlier dilemma. 

Before he could get caught up in wondering how his breath smelled like, Richie finally knocked on the door and waited with his pulse racing. He repeated the plan in his head again. 

_ Go in. Act normal. Follow his lead. _

_ And try not to get a boner,  _ he hastily added. Which,  _ yeah.  _

The door suddenly swung open in a grand sort of way, and Eddie’s beautiful and glowing self appeared. A beat later, Eddie’s searching eyes met his and every single rational thought of his flew out the proverbial window.

_ It wasn’t like he was good at sticking to his half thought out plans anyway...  _

“Hey, why did you knoc—” Not letting him finish, Richie swooped in across the threshold and pressed his lips against Eddie’s, resulting in the smaller man letting out a surprised noise as he stumbled back a few steps from the force of his actions. 

But Eddie quickly got over his shock because in the next second he was kissing him back, and all Richie felt was  _ alive.  _ Every nerve ending in his body had ignited the moment their lips touched.

And how long had he wanted this? How many sleepless nights did he spend imagining this exact scenario and a hundred more? The scenarios always centering around the same man with the stupidly perfect set of doe eyes ( _ which should be totally fucking illegal for an adult who was almost forty),  _ who could set his entire body aflame with just one touch. One  _ look. _

With a mind of their own, his hands moved to grab Eddie’s waist and Richie pulled him just the slightest bit closer, and cautiously leaving a sliver of empty space between them. Eddie’s hands flew up to hold his face and the new sensation of being touched by him  _ there,  _ getting to feel just how warm Eddie’s palms were without the barrier of a shirt in the way, had Richie almost sighing into the kiss. 

_ And fuck, it just wasn’t enough.  _ It wouldn’t  _ ever _ be enough. 

He was a fool to think for even a second, that one kiss would make his feelings go away. 

Because it wasn’t just a crush, was it?

The revelation lit a match inside his chest and he could feel the overwhelming heat making its way up his throat. Richie took that as his cue to stop.

Richie disconnected their lips and reluctantly let go of his grip on Eddie’s waist. He backed away then, but his movements weren’t swift enough because their noses brushed against each other in a whisper of an eskimo kiss. Richie averted his eyes and absentmindedly rubbed at his nose to get rid of the fluttery feeling. 

And what the hell was he supposed to do next? What the hell was he even supposed to say after _that?_ He suddenly felt like a fucking dumbass for taking the reins there. Without a doubt, he knew that he should’ve followed his initial fucking plan even if he’d barely thought of it five minutes before he knocked on the door. At least then, there wouldn’t be this tense _(at least on his side, Richie couldn’t force himself to relax any part of his body)_ and almost awkward silence that followed their first kiss. 

Richie still wasn’t looking at him, and didn’t plan to until after Eddie said  _ something, _ but after a few seconds of him listening intently to the air running its course throughout Eddie’s apartment, he couldn’t take the silence anymore. He finally looked up and saw that Eddie still had his eyes closed. His arms had lowered and were held to his chest, almost as if he didn’t know what to do with them after Richie pulled away, and his cheeks were blushing a bright red.

_ A pretty sight if he ever saw one.  _

Richie’s hands uselessly fell to his sides. He wondered if Eddie blushed like that every time someone kissed him. If anyone else had the pleasure of seeing him look so properly flushed...

(He didn’t want to know the answer).

Eddie’s eyes fluttered open then, and he peered up at Richie for a heated moment. He halfheartedly bit down on his bottom lip, before his eyes swiveled toward the still open doorway to his left. 

“I think...that was supposed to be the other way around,” Eddie murmured and a small smile began to pull at his lips when his eyes raised to meet Richie’s again. 

He glanced towards the door himself and Eddie’s words instantly clicked in his brain.

_ The door opens and we see Dwight. Before Dwight can get a word out to greet him, Lee pulls Dwight down for a desperate kiss. One that was twenty-something years in the making.  _

Well,  _ shit. _ He’d really just recreated Dwight and Lee’s goddamn kiss there.

With a playful shake of his head  _ (and really just him shaking off the sudden heat that was beginning to flood his entire face),  _ Richie loosely crossed his arms. “Yeah well, Lee making the first move is a load of crap anyways.” 

_ Bullshitting was an art form. _

“Really?” Eddie asked, his eyes bright. Without looking away, he went to gently close the door and lean back against it. The sound of the lock turning was loud in the silent apartment. “And you think Dwight would?” His tone was skeptical and teasing at the same time, and Richie all of a sudden felt the burning need to defend his character. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong—which you won’t, because I’m right—but Dwight’s been in love with Lee since before the clown. Since he first met him. I think that pretty much gives him first dibs on the whole sucking face thing.” Richie sardonically smiled when he finished.  _ He won this one, definitely.  _

But Eddie—who was Lee’s biggest fan and supporter, and quite possibly his number one apologist too, he always got fired up whenever someone brought up the cheating bit—wasn’t letting this one go.

“How would you know? You still haven’t read the book.” He pointed out.

“I don’t need to. I basically know their entire story because of you.” And that was true. It was no secret on set that Eddie was  _ a bit _ passionate about Dwight and Lee’s relationship. He brought up little gems about them from the book, from time to time, usually telling him about the  _ oh-so sweet  _ missing scenes that didn’t make the movie, and Richie always listened with an amused expression on his face. Partly because he was genuinely curious about what he was missing by not picking up the book, and the other part because, well...Eddie was fucking adorable when he rambled about things.

And he was especially adorable when he’d brought his own copy of the book to set and showed him his favorite passages while being covered from head to toe in dried sewer gunk. Richie had happily listened to him read the marked pages while also looking over his shoulder at the book, as they stood to the side waiting for Stanley to finish his nightmarish scene in the cistern. 

“Lee rightfully deserves the first dibs and you know it.”

“Why don’t you enlighten me?” Richie asked as he moved closer to where Eddie was still standing, with his back against his door. 

Eddie pursed his lips, drawing Richie’s attention to them. “I don’t think I should.” He shook his head.

Richie nodded, accepting his non answer.

But  _ of course,  _ he just wasn’t done with his teasing yet.

“Well, it still doesn’t change the fact that Bill initially agreed with me. I mean, the neibolt kitchen scene screams Dwight making the first move, and  _ first  _ and _ final draft.” _

“You fucking liar.” Richie desperately tried to hold back the laugh that wanted to burst from his mouth. “Now you’re just grasping at straws here!” 

“Oh, come on, Bambs. You don’t call this a move?” Richie uncrossed his arms and pointedly closed the distance between them, nearly pressing Eddie up against the door with his body. Eddie had to slightly crane his neck to look up at him, head-on.

They hadn’t filmed this scene yet. Bill wanted to be finished with all of the sewer scenes before starting the ones located in the actual house, so this was a new position for them. Well, being almost completely pressed up against each other while  _ standing up  _ was a new one...

Because-  _ right.  _

And Richie knew that this scene would take more than a couple of takes to get it right. His brain was already malfunctioning at being so close to Eddie again. 

“Not a move,” Eddie denied with a whisper while weakly shaking his head.  _ And maybe he was whispering because of their close proximity to each other,  _ Richie braced his hands on the door, on either side of Eddie. His hands itched to wrap around his waist again. Eddie lowered his gaze.

“If anything, it’s another hint to Lee being the one since he…” Eddie let his sentence trail off as he lifted an arm, making a loose fist. He slowly snaked a path up Richie’s chest and touched his left cheek with the back of his fingers, delicately brushing against his stubble. His eyes had followed his movements the entire time.

_ (One touch). _

It was hard to breathe when there was smoke gathering in his chest and traveling up his throat again.

That wasn’t in the script. Richie knew every word, every piece of dialogue and action their characters said and did, and  _ that _ wasn’t in the script. 

Richie wrapped a hand around his wrist and Eddie easily went limp in his grasp. “Nice try, but that’s not how the scene plays out.”

“Well, if he wasn’t interrupted. Don’t you think?” 

“Lee still wouldn’t have done all of that.” Shaking his head, Richie went on. “Not in front of the others.”

“Dwight’s big and blocking him from the others…” Eddie’s brown eyes were glowing when he stared into his again. “Why wouldn’t he?”

_ (One look). _

Richie hated him, he couldn’t fucking stand him.

And he really hoped that Eddie couldn’t tell that his heart was racing at an alarming speed because of him.

Eddie’s demeanor shifted then. With his right still trapped in his grasp, Eddie lightly pushed his other hand against his sternum, no doubt telling him to move. “Ready to practice now?” He asked while grinning and just to be a little brat, Eddie then patted his cheek in a patronizing way.

_ Jesus fucking christ,  _ Richie let go of his wrist like it burned him and backed away a few paces, more towards the middle of the living room. “Didn’t we  _ just  _ practice?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“Stop your whining,” Eddie mumbled as he strode forward and cupped Richie’s cheeks. He tugged him down for a kiss, meeting him halfway by slightly raising up on his toes, and Richie almost groaned at the heady feeling of Eddie’s soft lip against his again. He wasted no time in returning his hands to squeeze at Eddie’s waist. 

_ Kissing someone shouldn’t feel this good.  _ He felt Eddie’s arms wrap around his neck then and nothing could’ve stopped his hands from boldly venturing up the back of Eddie’s shirt. His fingers barely had the chance to reach paradise and touch the warm skin there, before Eddie broke the kiss with a shaky breath. 

“One,” Eddie breathed out, his gaze never leaving his as he unwound his arms from around his neck and slowly dragged them to settle on his shoulders. 

“One,” Richie repeated dumbly, going with the flow at this point because his brain had yet to start back up. Eddie reached behind him and grabbed his hands from under his shirt, and Richie held his breath as he placed them on his hips instead.

“Starting over...so your hands shouldn’t be there already,” He whispered. 

It was easy to forget why they were kissing. Why he was only allowed to touch because they were technically rehearsing. 

“Right,” Richie mumbled as Eddie took another step forward, and just- _ looked  _ up at him for a moment. His eyelids then lowered a fraction of an inch and everything around Richie grew hazy when Eddie insistently pulled him down for another kiss with the same amount of eagerness as the first. 

And he really fucking envied anyone who got to kiss Eddie Kaspbrak before he did. It wasn’t  _ fair. _

He blamed his manager for not pushing him to get into acting sooner. 

Eddie pulled away from his lips, and actually pulled away  _ altogether,  _ leaving him bereft. Blinking out of his daze, Richie found him staring expectantly up at him, like he was waiting for something, and thinking it was because of where his hands were  _ yet again,  _ he quickly  _ (but smoothly, he still had that somewhat going for him)  _ retracted them from under the hem of his shirt. 

Eddie shot him a coy smile. “Well?”

Richie scratched at his chin. “Well, what?” He asked, confused.

“One or two?”

What was this, one of his eye doctor appointments?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Richie admitted. It was safe to say his brain was on a permanent vacation after that one…

“Oh my god,” Eddie muttered to himself, before shaking his head. “Which kiss was better? The first or the second one, just now.” He spelled it out for him. 

Richie thought about his answer for about three fucking seconds. 

“There was a difference?” 

“Are you being serious?” When Richie only nodded in response, Eddie then let out an amused snort. “Okay…” He began, getting closer to him again. “How about this time, you pay attention to where my hands are, yeah?” 

He was never making it out of here alive. The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“I hate you so much.” And maybe Richie could’ve made them sound more believable if he didn’t say it in a reverent tone. 

“You could never,” Eddie easily dismissed as he reached up to cup his cheeks again. _His cheeks, got it. Now where the fuck did he put them for the second one?_ His mind got a little distracted, thinking of all the places he _could’ve_ touched him, but Eddie pulled him back to the situation at hand with a softer kiss, going slower and gentler than before. _The all too intimate way lovers would kiss each other,_ which tracked, right? Dwight and Lee _were_ lovers in every sense of the word. Richie let the little bit of tension that was still held in his body melt away then and just enjoyed the kiss for whatever it was, knowing he’d only get a dozen more, if he was even lucky, split between tonight and the day they’d actually film the scene.

When Eddie broke away and trailed his hands down from where they were resting on his cheeks, to his upper arms, Richie kept his eyes closed. Savoring the intoxicating feeling of having Eddie touching his bare skin again. Savoring the way he’d just kissed him. He was sure he looked weird as fuck just standing there, looking like a lovestruck teenager after their first kiss.  _ Heh, not unlike the way Eddie had looked earli— _

Richie opened his eyes.

“One,” Richie said, more sure this time. More sure about  _ a lot  _ of things this time.  _ What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck— _

A flicker of a spark entered Eddie’s eyes, like he understood. “One,” He repeated. 

Just as he was about to voice his erratic thoughts, Eddie gave a slight shove to his chest and Richie was falling back. He landed on his butt on the couch with a small grunt and stared up at Eddie with wide eyes as he took it upon himself to gingerly climb into his lap, and straddle his upper thighs. 

Richie’s mouth felt dry. 

And _ yeah, they can talk about shit later. _

“What, did you get tired of standing up?” Richie asked, already breathless. His hands slid up Eddie’s thighs  _ (holy fuck, he was touching Eddie’s thighs and he wasn’t slapping him way)  _ and returned to their favorite place at his waist.

“How did you know?” He asked teasingly, before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him up for a passionate kiss. Richie allowed himself to groan with this one, fully laying all of his cards out on the table now and saying  _ yes, I really am enjoying this,  _ and Eddie took it up a notch by licking into his mouth. The feel of his warm and wet tongue—and  _ now,  _ Eddie’s chest pressed against his own—emboldened Richie to sit up and bring his hands underneath his shirt to freely touch at the skin there. His worshipful hands making a slow drag up Eddie’s sides and-

“If you tickle me now, I swear to  _ god,”  _ Eddie mumbled against his lips, and Richie laughed. God, did he fucking  _ adore  _ the man that was on his lap.

Richie pecked him on the cheek, before pulling back so he could properly meet his eyes. “I wasn’t planning on it, but now that you planted the idea in my head...” He trailed off, playfully curling his fingers and really,  _ this  _ was long overdue. His ruined pair of pajama pants, before the wash, deserved to have vengeance.

Eddie tilted his head. “I have a better idea.” Richie raised a brow as he blindly reached across the arm of the couch for something on the small end table nearby. Eddie’s eyes darkened then and he delicately bit down on his lip, and Richie then felt him press something down on his chest. Eddie poked him, challenging him to glance down and he did.

It was a condom. A fucking  _ condom. _

He  _ had to _ ask.

“What is it with you and my chest?” 

“Find out,” Eddie simply said and a flash of heat went through him. Twice. Maybe a third time

“Yeah,” Richie breathed out, giving a weak nod, before he got his hands under Eddie’s thighs and effortlessly picked him up as he stood from the couch. Eddie let out a squeak in surprise, and then giggled as he tightly held on by the fabric of his shirt and wrapped his legs around his waist. 

And Richie was sure he was staring up at him in awe. He wanted to hear that sound until the day he ceased to exist. 

He started leading them towards the short hallway when Eddie leaned down and pecked him on the lips. “My room is the one on the left,” He whispered and Richie distractedly nodded and crashed their lips together again; his hands sliding to grab his ass.  _ Finally _ . 

His poor soul never stood a chance tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter like crazy and rewrote so many parts just to get it as near perfect as it could be, so it’s safe to say I’m still pretty nervous about posting this one. 
> 
> I hope I did reddie justice with this one ❤️❤️ Pls scream into the comments to reassure me. 
> 
> Happy early new year everyone! I hope y’all spend the new year doing something that makes you happy 💗xxx

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is done! The next chapter will ofc have reddie 💕. I have some things planned for that but like with my other fic, I am straight up winging this as I go lmao! 
> 
> Also, I purposely left out Dwight & Lee’s ship name, bc I wanted all of your opinions on that 🥰 I had some possibilities in mind, but I wanted to see what y’all would come up with lol. 
> 
> If anyone wants to appear as a stan, don’t hesitate to ask! Leave your ‘name’ and @ in the comments and I’ll add you in 😝 and as usual, if any of y’all have any suggestions, I would love to hear them 💜
> 
> I hope you all liked this :D


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